


The Shields of Youth

by cheyla



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Naruto
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Harry Potter was Raised by Other(s), Shinobi Harry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-15
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-04-09 09:48:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4343825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheyla/pseuds/cheyla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An unknown spell spirited him away to safety, saving Harry from growing up unloved and neglected. Throughout the years, he grew up and flourished under the tutelage and parenting abilities of Gai and Lee. Just out of the shinobi academy, Harry prepares for the hardest mission of his life-Hogwarts. Luckily for him, a bit of hard work will get him through almost any challenge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Sirius was quivering with rage as he stared down at the small form in his arms. How could he have been so foolish to trust Peter? His mistake had led James and Lily to their deaths, leaving behind their son, who would soon be abandoned.

Sirius knew that he wouldn't be able to take care of young Harry. Dumbledore wouldn't allow it. The headmaster would prefer Harry to be sent to his blood relatives, as he believed that blood was the most important thing in determining family relations. He didn't believe that independently formed bonds could be more important.

Well, Sirius wouldn't allow Harry to be sent to Lily's sister and her family. He knew the boy would have more of a chance at a decent life in nearly any other place than with Petunia and her husband. Sirius would send Harry away before subjecting him to a life with his Muggle aunt.

The wizard wasn't sure how long it would take for others to show up to rescue Harry and find the bodies, but he suspected he didn't have long. Maybe seconds, maybe moments. If he wanted to give Harry a chance, he would have to act quickly.

He set the child on the ground and waved his wand over the wrapped form. Harry whimpered at the loss of the warmth and the comfort of being held.

"I'm sorry," Sirius whispered before uttering a quick phrase in Latin. It was an experimental spell that had been sitting around the Ministry's Department of Mysteries for ages, so he wasn't sure of the exact results, but he knew that there was no chance of Harry dying. If the spell worked correctly, it would take the child somewhere safe where he could not be easily found.

"Good luck," Sirius whispered as a light emitted from his wand and wrapped around the swaddled child. "I hope I'll get to see you again but if I don't, know that I loved you and your parents. I'll get my vengeance on their murderer."

As the light faded, Harry James Potter disappeared with it. Sirius turned and left the house, encountering Hagrid as he did so.

"Sirius, wha's goin' on?"

The dark-haired wizard glanced at the large man. "James and Lily are dead," he said. "And Harry's gone. Dumbledore should know. Take my bike if you must. I need to go find someone."

Sirius would never forgive himself for requesting that his friends trade him for Pettigrew. They had paid the ultimate price for his mistake and now Peter would pay the same price for his betrayal.

In a different part of the world, Harry let out a small cry as the spell set him on the damp ground. When he wasn't moved, he let out another, louder cry.

At the sound of a child's cry, two sets of feet settled on a tree branch.

"Do my ears mistake me, Gai-sensei, or was that—"

"Lee, your ears are as youthful as ever. That certainly was the cry of someone who needs our help! We must go and find them!"

It only took a few moments for the two shinobi to locate the swaddled child. The blue of the blanket stood out against the dark browns and greens of the forest floor.

"Who would abandon a baby in this forest?" the younger of the pair wondered aloud. "If we had not been as quick as we were, an animal might have found and eaten it."

"It could only have been abandoned by someone that does not have your gentle heart, Lee," Gai announced loudly before picking up the baby. Instantly it quieted, feeling that it wasn't in any immediate danger. Gai's face turned serious. "We should take it to the Lady Hokage. I haven't heard of any babies going missing or being stolen. If it's from another village, she'll know what to do."

"Wise as always, Gai-sensei," Lee remarked before the pair took off again. Harry began crying again as the leaps of the traveling shinobi bounced him around.

Tsunade was wondering if it was too early to start drinking by the time Gai and Lee returned to Konoha. At the sight of the two green jumpsuit-clad shinobi entering her office, she caved and opened a drawer to pull out a bottle of alcohol, mentally preparing herself.

"What's that?" she asked, gesturing to the bundle in Gai's arms.

"A child we found in the forest on the pathway back to Konoha," Lee said. Tsunade smirked as she saw stains on the front of Gai's jumpsuit. So the child hadn't enjoyed traveling to Konoha. Hopefully that was his only jumpsuit and it would be destroyed as it was cleaned, but Tsunade wouldn't hold her breath.

"Let me see it," she ordered with a sigh. "Place it on the desk."

Gai obliged and Tsunade carefully unwrapped the blue blanket. Her forehead creased as she felt something unusual in the energy path under the skin of the baby. That wasn't chakra.

"Well, it's a boy," she remarked as she used her chakra to probe the child further. She had never encountered this type of energy before.

"What is it, Lady Tsunade?" Lee asked as she was silent for a few minutes. He received no response until the glow of chakra faded from the Hokage and Tsunade looked up.

"We'll have to keep an eye on him," she stated. "There's not enough chakra for him to become a shinobi but there's something else. Pass that information on to the caretakers at the orphanage. I want to know of anything unusual that he does or that happens around him."

"Orphanage?" Lee asked warily. Tsunade nodded.

"There's no one else in the village with anything similar," she said. "So I can only assume that his parents are dead or not from this village."

The younger of the two shinobi before her frowned and looked at his team leader. No words were spoken but Gai seemed to catch what he was thinking.

"An excellent idea, Lee!" he cried. "Lady Tsunade, if you would allow us to, Team Gai will take care of this child. We will become his new family!"

Tsunade sighed. She should have expected something like this.

"I need every shinobi possible on active duty," she informed the jounin. "If you're raising a child, I can't give you the properly ranked missions—"

Her protests were cut off by cheers from Lee. The Hokage sighed. It was clear that she wasn't going to be able to convince them otherwise. It looked the child had a new family. Tsunade sighed again. Time of the day be damned. She really needed to start drinking.

"First things first!" Gai announced. "We need a name to call this lucky boy."

"Harry," Tsunade stated as she uncorked the bottle of sake. When the two shinobi looked at her in surprise, she shrugged her shoulders. "The name was written on the blanket."


	2. Chapter 2

Caring for a baby—especially one that was nearly a toddler and could walk and crawl—was a lot more difficult than either Gai or Lee were expecting. Thankfully, they were no strangers to confronting challenges and greeted each task with enthusiasm.

Diapers had been completely foreign to them until Harry, as well as having to baby-proof their connecting apartments. Easier said than done when one took into account how many weapons and other sharp objects were lying around. Their strengths weren't in using weapons like Tenten but they still used items like kunai and shuriken during missions.

The lack of sleep wasn't an issue. They were used to running on next to no sleep on missions and Harry managed to sleep through the night after the first few days. He still kept them up every so often but it was much better than having to deal with a newborn.

For the first few days, young Harry didn't seem to know what to think of his new guardians. He enjoyed the attention and was fascinated by all the green—he already knew to associate the color with his eyes—but it was also very noticeable that the boy knew his parents were gone. He would ask for them—at least Gai and Lee were assuming that's what he was doing as some of the babbled words were unrecognizable—and cry when told that they weren't around but after a few days, the amount of times he asked or gestured for his parents grew less. By the end of the first week, he had stopped asking for them at all.

Gai and Lee had taken to taking Harry with them on D-ranked missions and when they were training. To Harry, they were games and he was especially amused whenever he could sit on the shinobi's backs while they were doing push-ups.

"Neji and Tenten will be most enthused when they meet the newest member of our team!" Lee declared on their morning run. He had won the daily challenge of who would be running with Harry as an added weight to their body. The young boy was currently hitting his hands on the back of Lee's head and occasionally tugging his hair.

"I'm sure they will, Lee! They will definitely see how Harry here has been a great help to our daily training and see the promise in his future as a shinobi."

"You truly believe he'll become a shinobi, Gai-sensei?" Lee asked, remembering Tsunade's words from a week ago.

"I have no doubts in his abilities, Lee. Already Harry is showing great enthusiasm for the shinobi lifestyle! As you know, one does not need genjutsu or ninjutsu to become an excellent shinobi. Harry will follow in your footsteps and become a shinobi and master of taijutsu!"

"Joo-soo!"

"See, Lee! He will become a true shinobi and one of the best that this village has ever seen!"

The pair quickly finished their morning run and headed for the training grounds, where they discovered two familiar faces waiting for them.

"Neji! Tenten! I trust your mission went well," Gai said, greeting them.

"Barely any complications," Tenten replied after a quick glance to Neji, who had activated his Byakugan upon seeing Lee. "Is that a baby you have there? Don't tell me we're on babysitting missions again."

"This is Harry!" Lee announced, unstrapping Harry from his back and holding him out. "Gai-sensei and I have adopted him, so he is the newest member of our team! We're going to train him to be a great shinobi one day."

Neji and Tenten traded looks.

"You adopted him?" Tenten asked, voice skeptical. As both Gai and Lee nodded in confirmation, Neji snorted derisively.

"How do you think he'll become a shinobi?" he asked. "His chakra coils are barely there. They won't be able to expand wide enough to use chakra for any shinobi techniques except for maybe a few of the basic ones. It'll be pointless to put him through shinobi training."

"I will personally train him on how to be a shinobi without using ninjutsu or genjutsu," Lee declared, glaring at Neji who only stared dully back at him.

"Let it go, Neji," Tenten muttered out of the corner of her mouth as Gai began putting them through training exercises. "They've already decided that it's going to happen and won't believe anything otherwise."

"So we're just supposed to do nothing?" Neji demanded. "How could Lady Tsunade let this happen? Does she really trust them around a child that young?"

"You know as well as I do that once they've got something like this in their heads, no one—not even the Hokage—can do anything about it. We'll just make raising the boy as much as a team effort as possible. Hopefully with you and I around, he'll turn out relatively normal."

Neji gave his teammate a look that clearly stated he didn't believe something like that was possible. Already he could see Gai and Lee's influence on the boy as the child began cheering them on during their push-up contest. It nearly sounded like counting but the words coming out of Harry's mouth were none that he could understand.

The team of four were about to head back to the village center to see if there were any missions to be completed when Tenten managed to wrestle Harry away from Lee for a few moments. She only held him for a second before Gai called out sharply, "Be careful of your weapons! Don't have any where he can grab them!"

Tenten sighed and thrust Harry into Neji's arms. The suddenness of going from one person to another caused the baby to whimper and squirm until he was facing Neji. He peered up at the Hyuuga's face, screwed up his face, and began wailing harder than had ever been heard before.

"What did you do?" Tenten asked as Lee pulled Harry out of Neji's awkward hold.

"How should I know?" Neji asked. "I've never been around children younger than those at the Academy."

"We've never seen Harry, the very depiction of youth, this upset before," Lee grunted as Harry began to squirm and kick even harder after being taken away from Neji. The green-eyed boy was reaching toward Neji as he continued to wail.

"I think he wants Neji again," Tenten stated after a few seconds and Neji's eyes widened a fraction as his arms were once again full of struggling baby. Harry paused momentarily, just long enough to get his bearings, before he reached up and tugged on a strand of black hair.

Hard.

Neji pushed Harry back into Lee's arm, not even wincing as some of his hair was pulled loose and took the lead, leaving the others to deal with what he had decided to call the "problem child".

"He'll come around," Tenten said as Gai and Lee began to examine Harry for anything that might cue them into why he was still crying. "I'm sure Neji will be much more enthusiastic once he gets used to the idea of having Harry around. Especially once Harry's older."

Her words went ignored as her teammates' focus was elsewhere.

"What shall we do, Gai-sensei? Young Harry should not be this upset! Should we bring him to the hospital? Or Lady Tsunade?"

"Nonsense, Lee! Strap him on your back and go for a run! That should cheer him up! If it doesn't, I will walk around the village one hundred times on my hands as penance for failing my adopted son!"

"And I will join you, Gai-sensei," Lee replied as he took off running with Harry. Tenten sighed as she watched the rest of her team go. The next few years were bound to be interesting.


	3. Chapter 3

Growing up with Gai and Lee as his primary caretakers meant that Harry was by no means a normal child. He seemed to be at first but there were little things that tended to give him away. Like the fact that he tended to be overly enthusiastic about some things. Or that he was obsessed with the color green and refused to wear anything that was a different color.

However, it wasn't until he was four when everyone found out just how unique Harry would be.

Tenten had taken Harry out for the day to buy some new clothes. Clothes shopping had become nearly a monthly thing because the boy would ruin them nearly as fast as he bought them.

Training, Gai and Lee said. Tenten honestly believed that they encouraged Harry to ruin as many outfits as possible because she and Neji refused to let them put Harry in a mini jumpsuit.

Clothes shopping with Harry was always a nightmare. It was one of the few times when the child was not his normal cheerful self. Instead, he would throw fits if the clothes didn't look the way he wanted.

"How about this one?" Tenten asked the four-year-old as she showed him a bright yellow shirt. "Isn't this a happy color? It would fit your personality."

"Want green!" Harry announced.

"Don't you think you have enough green?" Tenten asked. "Besides, yellow goes nicely with green."

"Want green!" Harry repeated loudly. Tenten sighed and set the shirt in the basket. Harry pouted and she could sense a tantrum brewing.

"What about this?" she asked, pulling an orange shirt off of the rack. "Do you like orange?"

"No!"

"Of course you don't," Tenten muttered to herself. "Do you like this shirt?"

"No!"

Tenten put it in the basket anyways, wincing as Harry screamed bloody murder. The owners of the shop gave her a sympathetic smile. They were used to this monthly occurrence.

Twenty minutes later, Tenten and Harry exited the store. The kunoichi was holding the bag well out of Harry's reach so he couldn't 'return' it like he had tried last time.

"Should we go get your hair cut?" Tenten asked, noticing that Harry's bangs nearly covered his eyes.

"Like brother hair and father hair?" Harry asked. Tenten cringed at the thought.

"I think your hair isn't flat enough for that," she said. "It's too spiky. We'll get a hair cut that will become Harry hair."

Harry frowned. "Not Harry hair," he said.

"Neji hair then?" Tenten asked, grinning wickedly. Neji would kill her but it would probably be worth it.

"No," Harry said. "Neji's hair not spiky."

"Then whose hair do you want yours to look like?" Tenten asked. Harry frowned as he thought about the answer. When a familiar shinobi walked by, Harry's frown turned into a grin and he pointed at the shinobi.

"Kakashi hair!" he announced. Kakashi Hatake looked up when he heard his name and a shudder ran through his body when he saw Gai and Lee's newest protégé.

Why had Tsunade thought it was a good idea, letting those two raise a child? Together nonetheless? The entire village lived in fear of the day that Harry would start his shinobi training and become even more like his adopted father and brother.

Tenten laughed. She was going to enjoy her sensei's reactions when she brought Harry home at the end of the day. "Okay," she said. "We'll give you Kakashi hair."

The kunoichi brought Harry home at sunset, just when Gai and Lee were getting ready to go for their nightly run. Gai's mouth dropped open and his jaw nearly hit the ground when he saw Harry's new haircut.

"What happened?" he demanded, checking Harry for any other changes. The boy giggled at the attention he was getting.

"Harry's hair too spiky to look like father hair and brother hair," he announced. "So Harry's hair looks like Kakashi hair."

Tenten snickered as Gai's eye twitched for a brief second before the older shinobi straightened and started tearing up. She was amused until Gai spoke again.

"He's such a smart boy! If he can't embody my and Lee's youthfulness, he decided to instead take after my eternal rival, someone worthy to look like! A wise choice, Harry!"

Tenten sighed as Harry clapped. "Before you join them on their run, why don't you show your father and brother what we bought today," she suggested to the boy, who nodded and dragged the bag away from Tenten's side.

"This," Harry said, pulling out a green shirt. "And this." Another green shirt. "And this." A pair of green pants.

Tenten stared in disbelief and her eyes kept widening as Harry pulled out green after green after green. There hadn't been a single piece of green clothing in that bag when they left the store and now everything was green.

"Tenten, are you okay?" Lee asked, noticing her disbelief.

"Harry, how did you do that?" Tenten asked, kneeling in front of the boy and gesturing at the clothes. "They weren't green in the store."

Harry shrugged. "I not like other colors, so I turn them green," he said simply, as if that explained everything.

"But how did you turn them green?" Tenten asked. She doubted she would get a logical answer but there was no harm in trying.

Harry wiggled and stretched his fingers before pointing at the bag in way of an explanation. Gai and Lee were suddenly hugging each other, clearly understanding something that Tenten didn't.

"A display of chakra!" Gai said. "Our Harry has started to display chakra!"

Tenten frowned. She hadn't heard of chakra being able to change the color of clothing before and the clothes weren't under a genjutsu to make them look green. Plus there were Neji's comments to consider.

"But Neji said that Harry barely has chakra coils," she reminded them. "It shouldn't be possible for him to do something like that."

"Well it looks like nothing is impossible for our young Harry!" Lee said. "He'll be a great shinobi when the time comes!"

"Still, you should probably bring it up to Tsunade at Harry's appointment next week," Tenten suggested. If they didn't, she would the next time she saw the Hokage.

"Of course! Lady Tsunade will be as proud of Harry's accomplishments as we are!" Gai announced. Lee nodded fervently.

Tsunade was not proud. Instead, she was concerned.

"The brat did what?" she asked.

"Harry, not brat," Harry corrected, fidgeting as he sat on the exam table.

"Yeah, yeah," Tsunade muttered.

"Turned all of his newly bought clothes green in an impressive use of chakra!" Lee said.

That wasn't possible. The kid didn't have any extra chakra in his coils to tap into. And there was still that other energy source coursing through his body. Tsunade was starting to suspect that it was getting stronger as the boy got older.

"Shizune!" the Hokage yelled, opening her office door. "Bring me five of my spare shirts!"

Her assistant brought the shirts as requested, looking confused but not asking questions. Sometimes it was better not to ask. That way she could sleep more soundly at night.

As she was handed the shirts, Tsunade gestured for Shizune to stay and watch her experiments. "Monitor his chakra levels," she ordered as Shizune approached the exam table. While Shizune would monitor Harry's chakra levels, Tsunade could pay attention to the other energy source within the boy.

The Hokage placed a white shirt in front of Harry, who looked practically offended by the color choice. "Turn this green like you did with the other shirts," she requested and started examining the energy source further.

As she examined it, the energy suddenly spiked. Tsunade glanced at the shirt and saw that it was now green. Gai and Lee began cheering. Shizune frowned.

"No chakra was used at all," she muttered, just loud enough for Tsunade to hear. Tsunade took a second shirt and placed it in front of the boy.

"Do it again," she ordered. She had Harry repeat the experiment until all five of her shirts were green, proving that it wasn't a fluke. As Harry looked up at her innocently, wondering if there was any more clothing she wanted him to turn green, Tsunade studied him carefully. All five times, Harry hadn't used chakra. Instead, it seemed like he was tapping into this other energy source to achieve his aims.

She didn't know what this energy was but it reminded her of something she had read in one of her scrolls. Or something she had heard during her travels.

"Lady Tsunade?" Gai asked after Tsunade was silent for a few moments. "Is something wrong?"

The Hokage turned to Harry's adopted father and brother. "It depends on what you mean by wrong," she said. At their looks, Tsunade sighed, wishing that alcohol was allowed in the medical facility. She had a feeling she would need some before this appointment was finished.

"Do you want the good news or the bad news first?" she asked.


	4. Chapter 4

Her question bought Tsunade time to plan what she would say while Gai and Lee argued over which type of news they would want to hear first. However, when it became clear that they weren't going to reach an agreement quickly, Tsunade made the decision for them.

"Enough!" she announced, getting their attention. "I won't go into the medical terminology now to keep things short. Basically, what it comes down to is that the brat isn't tapping into his chakra coils at all to perform these feats."

"Harry, not brat," Harry spoke up, correcting the Hokage, as Gai and Lee's faces fell. Before they could do something drastic—like break out in tears at the tragic news—Tsunade continued.

"However, he is tapping into the alternative energy source I noted when he was first brought into the village. If we could discover more information about it, it's possible that this energy could be a great asset to the village."

"So there is still the chance that Harry could become a great shinobi!" Lee crowed. Tsunade sighed.

"I didn't say that," she snapped. "I said that it could be an asset. That is not the same as being a shinobi."

"But with this energy system, Harry could use that instead of chakra," Gai stated. "So it's still a possibility."

"It might be if we learn what this energy is and what it's capable of," Tsunade reluctantly admitted. "However, I'm not going to send the boy into the academy without knowing that information. What would be the point in sending someone with no usable chakra into the academy only for them to fail if we discover that this energy is limited to changing colors of clothing?"

'Then what would you suggest, Lady Hokage?" Lee asked. Tsunade sighed.

"The hell if I know," she muttered under her breath. "Our priority should be gathering information on this energy, so we know what the brat will be capable of in the future."

"Harry, not brat," Harry interjected, tugging on Tsunade's clothing. She ignored him as dealing with Gai and Lee normally took all of her focus—mostly so she didn't lose her temper and send one of them flying out of the tower with a well-placed punch.

"Once we have a better idea of what we're dealing with, we can start making plans for his future. For now, though, the information regarding this energy remains inside this room and the people you see in front of you. It's critical that there are no leaks, unless you want the boy to become an experiment."

The same face flashed in front of every adult's mind as Tsunade spoke. A child could figure out that if news of Harry's unique abilities got out, Orochimaru would probably take an interest in him and it was never good news when Orochimaru focused his attentions on a person.

"I'm going to look through my scrolls but if I can't find anything, be prepared to be sent out to try and find information or f we have any sort of luck, someone else with similar abilities. In the meantime, let's establish monthly check-ups for the brat, to keep an eye on things."

"Harry, not brat!"

Both Gai and Lee nodded. When Harry gestured to the younger shinobi, Lee picked up his adoptive brother.

"Lady Tsunade, do we have your permission to at least start Harry on a training regime that's more than just running?" Gai asked. "So he'll be ready to start at the academy when the time comes?"

"You haven't started already?" Tsunade muttered, mildly surprised.

"We weren't sure how early others start," Lee admitted, trying to flatten Harry's hair into more of a bowl cut with no luck.

The Hokage sighed. She was probably going to regret this but…"Go ahead."

Her response was met with cheers.

"Don't go overboard," she tried to warn but her words went unheard as the two green-clad shinobi and their young charge ran out the room. The blond-haired woman closed her eyes and sighed as she listened to their shouts.

"Our youthful Harry is on the way to becoming a great shinobi! Your training starts tomorrow.

"And don't worry!" Lee added. "If you can't use chakra, we'll still train you to in the way of the shinobi! You could be the first chakra-less shinobi!"

"A lively ambition, Lee! I'm sure if it comes to that, Harry will tackle that challenge with great enthusiasm!"

"Let's hope that the brat's other energy can perform like chakra," Tsunade muttered, rubbing her forehead. "Otherwise I won't be the one to tell them that there's no way for him to become a chakra-less shinobi."

"His name's Harry, not brat."

Tsunade glared at Shizune, who had remained in the room with her. The younger kunoichi laughed and shrugged.

"I figured that I would say it since Harry wasn't able to," she informed the Hokage, who started muttering obscenities under her breath. Before Tsunade could react more physically and before Shizune could see the sake that the Hokage would eventually find, the dark-haired kunoichi left the room, returning to her duties.

The next morning, the entire village was horrified to see Harry running around in a brand new green spandex jumpsuit. It should have been expected but they had hoped that since it had taken this long for Gai and Lee to give Harry a jumpsuit, they could have had a few more years of peace of mind.

No longer. Now it seemed that Harry was truly on his way to becoming a clone of his adoptive father and brother.

After the first week—in which Neji and Tenten tried to discourage Harry from wearing the jumpsuit by throwing it away, supplementing it for other shinobi gear, and hiding it on the other side of the village—everyone seemed to realize and accept that the new jumpsuit would become an everyday outfit for Harry. They weren't thrilled about the idea but they were beginning to realize that nothing would change the child's mind once he got an idea in his head.

Much like Gai and Lee.

* * *

A few weeks later, Tsunade's eyes wandered her bookshelves, trying to find if there had been any scrolls or books that she had missed. So far she hadn't had any luck in locating any information about this second energy source in Harry.

It was annoying her to no end because she knew she had heard about it before. She just couldn't remember where.

Maybe it had something she had heard in passing. If that was the case, then they were screwed. They would have to start from the absolute beginning.

The Hokage groaned in frustration and dropped into the chair behind her desk. She was done for the day. There were other things to focus on and prioritize.

Naturally, as soon as the sannin stopped thinking about the subject, she remembered the information she had been trying to remember for weeks.

She had been near the sea, conversing with travelers who had recently arrived. A few of them didn't know the local language and Tsunade had tried to help them learn it while they had taught her some new gambling games. In the process, she had picked up some of their own language. Not enough to be fluent but enough to read and speak the basics.

It was the same language that Tsunade had spotted on Harry's blanket when he had been brought into the village.

They had talked a little about their home country and Tsunade had gotten the feel that one of them had vastly different experiences from the rest. While the rest talked about electric lights and communicating through objects called phones, the one that stuck out had talked about using candles daily and sending mail by using owls.

There wasn't much of a connection but Tsunade had a feeling that she needed to find that man again. Or at least send one of her shinobi to his home country.

"Shizune!" she shouted, getting to her feet. "Get me Gai! Now!"


	5. Chapter 5

"Papa, don't go."

Gai knelt before his adopted son, his pack for his journey at his feet. It had been a few weeks since Tsunade had called him into her office to discuss his next mission.

"I need to, Harry. Our lady Hokage is sending me on a mission," the man explained. "I will come back as soon as I can."

"If Papa don't go, then Papa don't have to come back," Harry stated. "Papa already be here.

"It's the life of a shinobi, Harry, remember? You want to be a shinobi? Sometimes that means going away on missions for the village. This mission I am going on will bring a lot of important information to the village, information that will help you become a great shinobi one day. Don't you want that?"

Harry sighed and pouted for a moment but he eventually nodded. As Gai straightened up, Harry hugged his legs tightly.

"Come back soon, Papa," he said as clearly as he could. Gai nodded.

"I will!" he announced loudly. "Train hard while I'm gone, Harry, and you'll be much stronger when I get back!"

"I will!"

"I will make sure that Harry doesn't miss a single day of training. For every day that you are gone, Gai-sensei, Harry and I will add another lap around the village to our training regime! If you are gone one hundred days then we will run around the village one hundred times!" Lee decided.

"One hundred times!"

Gai saluted. "Then I will leave Harry in your caring hands, Lee! I will be back before you know it."

Harry and Lee watched their mentor and father figure leave the village with Shizune—who had been waiting at the gates while they had been saying goodbye—until they could no longer see them. They weren't sure how long he would be gone but the pair wouldn't worry unless it had been more than six months.

"Let's go for our morning run," Lee decided. "Today is the first day that Gai-sensei is gone, so we'll start with one lap around the village."

Harry nodded and took off running.

* * *

It took nearly a month to reach the destination Lady Tsunade had given Gai. While she had made some travel arrangements for the pair, she hadn't been able to give them any more information other than some signs of people that might have a similar energy to Harry's and the name of the country. England, it was called. An island, similar to his lands, but with a very different climate.

They had spent the time on the boat picking up the new language that England spoke. Tsunade had taught them the basics in the weeks before Gai and Shizune had left but being on the boat was much more helpful. Learning the language from native speakers was easier than sporadic lessons whenever Tsunade had time, especially when it was the only language being spoken. It forced them to learn and thanks to their shinobi training, they were able to learn and retain the new language quickly. Shizune would deny it but having Gai challenge her daily on who could learn the most words or talk the longest without making any mistakes was nearly…fun.

The villages outside of the barriers that protected the shinobi world were strange, Gai quickly learned when he and Shizune stepped foot off the boat. They liked to rely on machines that made everyday tasks easier, so they had less places to go and could sit around more. All over the first city they visited—a place called London—there were signs where machines had taken over, erasing what would normally be a good day's hard work.

They even had machines to help them exercise.

It was nearly insulting how easy things were for these people, Gai thought.

To Shizune's horror, Gai didn't stick out as much as she had thought he would, even with his insistence on continuing to wear his jumpsuit. The people here even had words to describe individuals like him.

Exercise enthusiast. Eternal optimist.

In Konoha, it was just known as being Gai—or being Lee if they were talking about his prodigy. If they had general terms for people like Gai that meant that people like him were commonly encountered.

Shizune really hoped that they wouldn't run into any of these other exercise enthusiasts or eternal optimists. She didn't want them to give Gai any new ideas.

After a week to recuperate from their long boat trip and to get their bearings in this new area, Shizune and Gai started to venture out and gather information.

"Where do you think we should start looking?" Shizune asked as they went to grab breakfast one morning. "The busier parts of the city might be best, if only to see who sticks out the most."

"A youthful outlook!" Gai announced. Shizune immediately shushed his loud tones when a few of the others in the small café glanced in their direction. Gai lowered his voice. "We should start in the city center and work outwards. If I see anyone that might fit our criteria, I'll distract them long enough for you to get close and examine them."

"I'll only need a minute to do an initial examination," Shizune informed her teammate. "The hardest part will be making sure that they don't notice the chakra around my hands. This isn't something to be done in the middle of the street."

"I am confident in your abilities, Shizune-san! We will work night and day until we find who we are looking for."

When they were done eating breakfast, Shizune beckoned over their waitress.

"Could you give us directions to the city center?" she asked.

"You new in town?" the waitress asked. Shizune nodded with a small smile. "I guessed so. It was the accents. They're quite heavy. What are you looking to do?"

"Looking to do?"

The waitress rolled her eyes. "Shopping? Visiting museums and landmarks? Touristy stuff?"

"People watching," Shizune said carefully. "We're studying the culture."

"What for? A class? You look too old to be students."

"Our jobs," Gai informed the waitress. "We write reports on culture and people."

The waitress looked skeptical, glancing at Gai's jumpsuit. Still, she shook her head and gave them an answer.

"Oxford Street is popular," she said. "Lots of shopping there." She gave Gai a meaningful look, as if she was hoping they would spend some time clothes shopping. "Charing Cross Road is nearby if you're looking for books. There might be stuff about culture there. I've seen a lot of the more eccentric people on Charing, if you're looking for the odd fashion trends and culture pieces."

"And how far is that?" Shizune asked, interest peaking. That sounded like a possible starting point.

"Ten minutes walking," the waitress said. "We have maps by the front door."

With that, the two shinobi paid and left the café.

"Charing Cross Road first. We might have the best luck there," Shizune murmured, grabbing a map. Gai didn't give her time to look at it, tugging her in a random direction while announcing that he felt it was the way to go.

It took the kunoichi fifteen minutes to convince him that they were going the wrong way and that Charing Cross Road was actually in the opposite direction. Shizune doubted that Gai would have listened had she not pulled a Tsunade and made her point rather…forcefully.

Nearly thirty minutes later, their search for someone similar to Harry truly began.


	6. Chapter 6

"Shizune-san, what about that man?" Gai suggested a few hours into their search. They had come across a few people that had looked like prime candidates but Shizune's check had revealed nothing. Now Gai had found another one.

Shizune's eyes widened as she spotted the man Gai was pointing at. It wasn't hard to pick out his target, since the man in question towered above the rest of the population by at least a meter, if not more.

"If you're just going by his size, I'm going to say no," she warned her partner who looked devastated by her claims.

"Of course not, Shizune-san! There are other reasons too," Gai protested. "His coat looks quite outdated compared to the clothing of others and seeing as it isn't raining, it looks mighty suspicious that he's carrying a pink umbrella."

Shizune sighed as she recognized that tone of voice. Gai was convinced that this man might be something special and nothing she said would persuade him otherwise. Not that she wanted to, of course, the kunoichi thought as the large man came closer and closer.

"Go ahead," she muttered and Gai sprang towards the man.

"Excuse me!" he called, getting the man's attention. "Could you help me please, youthful sir?"

"I'm pretty sure he's older than you," Shizune muttered as she passed Gai and snuck around the man's back.

"Wha' do you want?" the large man asked in a low voice.

"I was wondering if you could tell me where I could buy an owl?" Gai asked. He and Shizune had created a rough script of questions that they would ask to keep someone distracted but that wouldn't give them away to the ordinary population. According to Tsunade's (limited) knowledge, what they were looking for wasn't well known but there were obvious clues once one knew what to look for.

"Keep yer voice down," the large man hushed Gai, starting to look around wildly. Shizune caught Gai's eye from behind the man as she started her scan. "Wha' do ye need an owl fer?"

"To send a letter of course!" Gai claimed. "I was sent here for work but I have no way to send my reports back without an owl."

"Oh, yer a foreigner," the man muttered as he looked Gai over. Shizune finished her scan and nodded to Gai. There had been a positive match. Step one of their mission was complete. "Well, come along then. I'll show ye ter Diagon Alley."

"Wonderful! How could my coworker and I ever show our gratitude for your most wonderful help? The youthful kindness I find in this world practically brings me to tears sometimes!"

"Coworker?" the man asked skeptically. Shizune left her position from behind the man and pushed Gai away.

"Sorry about my coworker," she said quickly. "He's a bit…eccentric some times."

"Don' worry abou' it, lass," the man replied. "I know a few ot'ers. He said ye were lookin' fer an owl?"

Shizune nodded. "And a few other things," she replied. "We meant to get it done as soon as possible but work got in the way and with this being a new city for us, I'm afraid we've gotten a bit turned around. Would you mind helping us?"

"Not at all," the man said. He draped arms over both Shizune and Gai's shoulders before pulling them along. Shizune would have pushed his arm off of her but out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a shop she hadn't seen before despite examining every corner of the street numerous times.

The Leaky Cauldron.

"Where're ye from?" the man asked as he pulled his two new companions closer to the building that had just appeared.

"Just a small nation," Shizune said. "It seems that nobody here has heard of it before. Not surprising, since the only way to get there is by a very long boat ride."

The man didn't ask any more questions as the door to The Leaky Cauldron was opened and the trio stepped inside.

"Your usual, Hagrid?" a man behind the counter asked as Shizune and Gai began looking around.

"Not yet, Tom," the man now identified as Hagrid replied cheerfully. "Got ter help these two out first. This is—blimey, what's yer names? I ne'er got them."

"I am the mighty Gai!" Gai declared. "And this is my youthful companion, Shizune!"

"Righ'," Hagrid said. "Shizune and Gai. Come on now! The shops will be closin' soon fer lunch hour."

With those words, Shizune and Gai were tugged along and were forced to cut their examinations of the inside of the building short. Before they could protest, they were standing in a small courtyard.

"Now jus' remember," Hagrid announced, "Three up, two across and tap three times."

There weren't many things that could surprise a shinobi who was used to encountering all sorts of jutsu, especially when they were at the rank Shizune and Gai were. However, both could agree that an entire street being revealed when the bricks wriggled away to form an archway was something that came close to surprising.

"Eeylops Owl Emporium is jus' that way," Hagrid said, pointing down the street. "They have all sorts there. Wha' else will ye be needing?"

"We'll just look around," Shizune said. "We also need to find something for Gai's son. He'll be starting his training soon. Is there anything you'd recommend?"

"A son, eh?" Hagrid asked, looking at Gai who was practically beginning to shine with excitement and glee. "Ye look too young ter have an eleven-year-old son. Too bad he ain't here, ot'erwise ye could get him his wand. Diagon Alley is home ter Ollivander's, which makes some of the best wands in the world."

"He's not eleven," Gai replied. "My most youthful son is only four but yet our leader thinks that he is eager and strong enough to start his training already!"

"What he means is that he's not entering school quite yet but in a few cases, we put some children through preliminary training," Shizune interjected quickly, lest Gai give away too much information.

"Must be a bright kid," Hagrid muttered.

"He is!" Gai announced. "Young Harry and my youthful student Lee are among the brightest of their peers! Their determination and heart puts them above many others in our village and they are recognized everywhere they go!"

Hagrid snorted in amusement and glanced over at the man's coworker. She was clearly used to his antics because she didn't even bat an eye at his proclamations.

"We won't keep you any longer, Hagrid-san," Shizune said quickly. "Thank you so much for your assistance."

"No problem," Hagrid said, waving her comments away. "If ye get done early, meet me in The Leaky Cauldron fer some drinks. It's always nice ter get ter know the foreigners that visit the area."

"I'm sure," Shizune replied politely before pulling Gai away and toward the owl shop.

"It will take us a while to look through every shop here," Gai said. "Rarely have I ever seen a place that's brimming with this much enthusiasm and youthfulness!"

"Well, we're not leaving until we do," Shizune said quietly. "I don't want to leave here and not be able to find it again. How did we miss the front of that pub? It was practically right in front of us."

"Most likely it was a manipulation of their energy system," Gai stated. "Just by looking around, it seems that with it, they can do more than change the color of clothing. Young Harry will have a great challenge ahead of him to learn all of this and I'm sure he will greet it with great enthusiasm."

"I'm sure he will," Shizune agreed. "Where should we start? Finding as many scrolls as possible to bring home?"

Gai nodded. "The knowledge from any scrolls or books we find will be the strongest resource Harry and Tsunade have at this time.

After making sure that Hagrid was gone and wouldn't see them leaving the store without an owl, Gai and Shizune began making their way up the Alley, peering into store windows to see if they could find anything that would be useful later. Halfway up the street, they came across a store that had books practically pouring out of the windows and doorway.

"It's wondrous," Shizune whispered as she followed Gai into the store. As the green-clad shinobi went towards the shelves to go through the books one by one, Shizune approached a man behind the counter.

"Excuse me, sir," she said. "Could you help me find some things?"

"What are you looking for?" the man asked, keeping Gai in the corner of his eye.

"What books would you recommend for someone new to all of this and looking for general information, along for schooling materials?" Shizune asked. "We have a child that—"

"Muggles are you?" the man asked with a smile. "Seems like we've been getting more and more muggleborns as the years go by. Follow me and I'll show you the section we have specifically for muggleborns and their parents. There's all sorts of subjects, like history and supplementary reading that new students find helpful when they go to Hogwarts."

When he saw Shizune being led away, Gai followed at a distance until they reached the section that the man was talking about.

"Anything else?" the man asked.

"How much would the books be?" Shizune asked, looking at the large bookshelves that were completely stacked and brimming with books.

"Most here are between ten and fifteen sickles," the man replied. At their blank looks, he frowned. "Haven't been to Gringotts, then? You might want to head there first, since we can't take any muggle money. It's too troublesome."

"Is Gringotts the bank?" Shizune asked. The man nodded.

"Keep going up the alley," he said. "It's the white building at the end that's bigger than everything else. The goblins will know what to do."

With great reluctance, Shizune and Gai left the store and headed towards the building they had been directed to.

"Did you understand any of what he was saying?" Shizune asked Gai as she struggled to keep up with his longer strides. "Muggles? Muggleborn? Goblins?"

"No," Gai said. "And for this disappointment, I will do five hundred push-ups!"

"Let's finish our mission first," Shizune muttered. "We can't get distracted. Once we get back to Konoha, you can do however many push-ups you want."


	7. Chapter 7

When Gai and Shizune entered Gringotts, they were instantly aware of the tension hanging in the air. There was no longer the relaxed feel that the rest of Diagon Alley had held.

Instead, the bank felt a bit like Konoha or any shinobi village. It felt like home.

"Peculiar weapon choice," Shizune murmured as she caught sight of a few goblins guarding areas of the banks with gleaming axes.

The pair got in line, looking more comfortable than any other human in the bank. This felt familiar to them, even if the silent tension was making the wizards and witches nervous.

Apparently they had arrived during one of the busiest hours during the day for the bank. The lines were long and moving slowly, giving both shinobi time to look around and examine the interior of the bank.

"I wonder what their security is like?" Shizune wondered idly. "I doubt it's just the inhabitants with axes."

Gai was silent for a few seconds before…

"I shall find out for you Shizune-san!" he announced loudly. Shizune started at his loud tone, despite having been used to it for many years. It seemed much louder than normal due to the echoing of the atrium.

"I really don't think…" Shizune looked around and sighed as she noticed her companion was already gone. "That's a good idea," she muttering under her breath, finishing what she had intended to say. The kunoichi realized that a few of the people in line before and after her were staring at her oddly, no doubt wondering what had just happened. Shizune deliberately stared at the walls to her left, sighing to herself. Not for the first time, she was wondering why Tsunade had decided to send her with Gai of all people.

As the line inched along, Shizune could only hope that Gai didn't do something that would draw attention to them. The primary goal of this mission was to get as much information as possible, bringing back books and possibly even someone to teach Harry as he got older, and they couldn't do that if there were people after their heads.

Within minutes, Gai had discovered that while the main areas of the banks were blinding with their white walls and open spaces, the rest of the bank was a shinobi haven. It was dark, the walls were easy to climb, and there were many doors and hallways to wander down. It got even better once he had descended a few levels and entered the area where the vaults had been built. There were pillars to climb and perch on and the railways made not only excellent walkways but also excellent handholds when Gai decided he wanted to swing across the enormous cavern that seemed to go down into the earth and never end.

It was too bad that Gai couldn't bring his team here. There were a few places in the bank that would provide excellent training opportunities for them. He was also curious if Neji would be able to see through materials that had been enforced with this western magic.

The top floor of the vault cavern had been long out of sight when Gai stopped to rest for a few seconds. He was standing next to a vault and examined it, wondering what type of security was on this level. One of the levels he had stopped at before had a waterfall of hail and icicles that appeared if one got too close. Another one had a door that breathed fire.

Gai made a shadow clone and stood back as his clone inspected the door. There was no lock or keyhole on the door and therefore no obvious way to get in.

That didn't bother him. Shinobi rarely relied on the obvious.

As the clone went over the vault door inch by inch, it trailed a finger down the front of the door. For a few seconds, the door stood still and then it did something that caused Gai's eyes to widen.

It shivered.

And then promptly swelled up to swallow his clone and drag it into the vault.

Gai released his shadow clone and promptly shivered when the memories of being sucked into the vault appeared in his mind. He made a quick vow not to touch any more doors in this building without it being a clone. A quick hand sign allowed five other clones to appear.

Gai and his five clones turned, ready to continue on, only to be met with a blast of fire. Two of the clones were immediately disintegrated by the heat and flames while the rest darted in different directions.

The shinobi stared at the beast that was crawling its way on to the vault platform. It was easily five times the height of any oxen he had seen and ten times as long. The entire thing was covered from head to toe with scales like the ones that could be found on a snake, just much larger. Meter long spikes were lined up on the beast's spine and large wings were fanned out, blocking most of the exits.

It was large, it was dangerous, and it was deadly.

And it was one of the most beautiful things that Gai had ever seen before.

When the beast breathed another burst of fire, Gai ducked and whipped out a storage scroll he had brought with him to take things back to Konoha. It was risky and there was a possibility that this plan wouldn't work, but capturing this beast would be well worth the risk.

With record speed, the green-clad shinobi flew through the necessary hand seals, before leaping up and with great strength, pulled the nose of the beast down and into the storage scroll. As it tipped forward, Gai kept pushing the beast into the scroll with a quick pace. Before a minute had passed, the beast was sealed into the scroll.

Gai was rolling up the storage scroll when he heard a series of shouts. He glanced up and saw the bank employees rushing at him with weapons drawn.

It was time to go find Shizune.

Gai left a few of his clones behind to delay the guards while he ascended to the main floor of the bank. He had left a few seals to mark his path back up and within minutes, he could see the bright white walls of the main bank. However, just before he left, he made a note of the vault number, wondering just what it was about this vault that there were so many security measures.

Vault #839

"What did you do?" Shizune hissed when Gai suddenly appeared beside her.

"Have we succeeded in our task?" Gai asked, looking around and seeing a few guards eyeing him up.

"Yes," Shizune stated. "Now answer my question. What did you do?"

"We must now use the overwhelming power and speed of youth!" Gai announced. "We must not impose on these kind bank employees any longer!"

Shizune sighed and clenched her fingers into a fist around the moneybag in her hands. Tsunade was going to suffer for sending her on this trip. No sake. No gambling.

Nothing.

Just the Hokage and her desk and all the paperwork she wasn't completing while Shizune was away.

Shouts were being raised in the Gringotts atrium as the pair exited the large building.

"We should probably create henges," Shizune said as she realized that there were guards now after them. "We're to obvious right now and we can't leave until we have everything that we need."

"An excellent idea, Shizune-san!" Gai declared, making the appropriate hand signs. Shizune followed suit a fraction of a second later.

So focused on getting out of sight were the two shinobi that they didn't realize right away that they had henged in front of a black clad wizard, whose eyebrow quirked in surprise. After a second of deliberation, the wizard decided to abandon his tasks for the day and learn more about these strange visitors that didn't require a wand to use magic.


	8. Chapter 8

"There's someone following us," Shizune muttered to Gai out of the corner of her mouth as she perused a shelf of books. "Black hair, black clothing, a few shelves over."

Gai turned around to examine the books on the other side of the aisle and got a glimpse of the man Shizune had noticed. The man seemed intent on browsing the books in front of him but both shinobi had a suspicion that he was also aware of everything happening in the shop.

Much like a shinobi would be.

"Carrying weapons, too, besides those sticks that everyone seems to favor here," Gai acknowledged. "At least two, not counting the stick."

Shizune added a handful of books to the stack Gai was carrying, before looking over the titles one final time. There was at least two books from every section and they had nearly demolished the magical theory and history sections. The stack in Gai's hands was probably twice as tall as he was but the shinobi was balancing it with a practiced ease.

"Let's buy these and split up," she recommended. "He'll follow one and the one he doesn't will set up a trap in an isolated area of the street. Once the trap is set up, we'll send a clone to catch up to the other."

"A wonderful plan, Shizune-san, but that is to be expected from one as youthful as you are!"

Shizune sighed and directed Gai to the counter. She pulled out the bag of money and, when a pair of goblins entered the shop, axes in hand, she looked directly ahead. The two goblins watched her suspiciously for a moment but turned away as she began to pay.

The two shinobi kept the man following them in the corner of their eye, watching to see which one of them he would follow once they split up. Shizune quirked an eyebrow when she realized that he had chosen to follow after Gai. Interesting, though not entirely surprising. Even under his henge, Gai still drew a lot of attention.

Between two of the shops, there was an alleyway that led to another street. Shizune eyed the seedy characters that populated this hidden alley with a slight fondness, especially when she spotted the gambling dens. She had spent a lot of her time in areas like these when she had traveled with Tsunade around the hidden countries.

After picking out a spot and making sure everything was in place, Shizune sent a henged clone to find Gai and bring him to her. In a matter of minutes, her companion came in sight, chattering loudly. He was halfway down the hidden alley before the man following him appeared.

Shizune gestured for Gai to continue on like all was well when he spotted her waiting in the shadows. Gai grinned and winked as he passed by, still talking loudly to Shizune's clone.

The man who was following them may have had weapons and spy training, but his skills were nothing compared to those who had been studying the arts since they were children. By the time he had realized that he had walked into a trap and started to draw his wand, he was already pinned to the wall, a sharp knife at his throat.

The man and Shizune stared at each other for a few heartbeats before Shizune felt something wooden poke her in the side. Seeing the wand, Gai drew some of his own kunai and shuriken.

"Why have you been following us?" Shizune demanded in a soft hiss. The man's black eyes wandered downward to the weapon being held against his neck. He snorted.

"I should have known," he said. "The only type of people stupid enough to break into Gringotts and still be able to hide from the goblins would be mercenaries."

Shizune pressed the kunai a hair tighter to the man's throat. "Why are you following us?" she asked again.

"You drew attention to yourselves," the man said. "Why wouldn't I?"

Gai frowned, wrinkling his nose as he tried to figure out what about this man was familiar.

"You had no plans to assault us?" Shizune asked. The man raised an eyebrow.

"That depends," he stated in a drawl. "Do you intend to keep threatening me with that knife?"

"It's not a knife," Gai said as Shizune drew away. "It's a kunai."

The man stared at him, not recognizing the term.

"Why are mercenaries in Diagon Alley?" he asked, returning his wand to his sleeve but still keeping it in hand. If things went bad, he would only need to cast a spell and not have to waste time drawing his wand as well.

"We're finding information," Gai said. "For my most youthful son!"

The black-clad man raised his other eyebrow. It seemed like such a plain excuse, given the occupation of the pair in front of him.

"The closest energy system to his son's that we've been able to find is the energy system within the wizards and witches of this country," Shizune explained further. "Ours is too different and there is no information, let alone another person with this particular energy system in our country."

"How would your son have the ability to use magic if no one else in your country can?" the man demanded.

"Harry has channeled the power of youth and set himself apart from the others of his age! I saw his potential even when he was a baby and because of the extreme amount of potential, I adopted him."

Harry. A baby. Adopted. The man stared at the two people who had drawn his attention for a second before sneering.

"Your search is futile. It doesn't matter how much information you gather on magic. Magic cannot be learned solely from books and as soon as he starts his studies, his magic will become a danger to him. Even if your son manages to live to his eleventh birthday, his magic will most likely kill him in his teenage years if he does not get a proper education.

"Harry is strong and has the power of youth on his side. Like his brother, he will utilize determination and hard work to overcome any challenges that he might face. Even if he is not successful, he will continue to try until he is."

"Hard to do so if he's dead," the man drawled. Shizune stepped between the two men, sensing that weapons might be drawn if she didn't intervene.

"So we'll find a teacher for him. Even the best of our students have always had a teacher," she said smoothly. "Of course, preferably it would be a teacher that had some practice in the other arts we deem important."

The man snorted. "Like what? Stealing, spying, and killing?"

"Along with other shinobi arts," Gai stated as Shizune nodded. Unreadable black eyes stared at them for a few heartbeats.

"Good luck with that," he said finally. "There are very few people in this country that would be willing to teach a child while also knowing that they will be learning those types of things."

"But there are a few," Shizune said. The man shrugged but he froze when the woman continued to speak. "Like yourself."

The silence stretched over a few minutes as the three people weighed their next actions and words.

Eventually the man nodded. He never claimed to be anything close to good in regards to his morals and the other two were already aware of some of his abilities.

Shizune glanced over at Gai, who seemed unusually serious as he stared at the man. After a few minutes of silent judgment, Gai met Shizune's gaze and shrugged before crossing his arms.

"We don't want to waste any time," Shizune said carefully.

"Are you proposing that I teach the brat?" the man asked with a sneer. "I hate children and I won't teach dunderheads. How do you know that I even have any experience?"

"Because you just admitted it," Shizune said. "And because anyone can be a teacher. Harry is not a…dunderhead was the word you used? I can promise you that Harry will be a one of a kind student, unlike any you've ever dealt with before."

The man glared at the two shinobi, but he knew that he had already made his decision. He had made it upon hearing the child's name and finding out that he had been adopted as a baby. He didn't want to go back to Hogwarts and Dumbledore and if there was even the smallest chance that this Harry was Lily's child, he would follow this lead. He owed it to Lily.

"What's your name?" Gai asked once the man nodded. "We should know the name of my son's teacher."

"Snape. Severus Snape."


	9. Chapter 9

Severus Snape stared up at the large gates of Konoha with impassive eyes. After a few seconds, he glanced to either side, where Shizune and Gai were standing, watching him carefully.

"This is it?" the wizard asked. Shizune nodded and Severus turned his gaze back toward the gates.

In the month and a half it had taken to travel from England to the hidden countries and Konoha, Severus had gotten used to the idea that he was heading somewhere that was virtually unknown to both muggles and wizards alike. Talking to the crew on the ship that made the journey between the two locations, Severus had learned that there were only a handful of ships in the world that were authorized and had the capability to make such a journey. For the crew, it had been the first time in years that they had hosted travelers for the month long trip.

The one wizard on board hadn't been much help, to Severus's disgust. He had spent his life as part of the crew, using his abilities to help smooth the waters and speed the ship along but the elderly man had never traveled in the hidden countries and therefore knew next to nothing about the culture or the language. He couldn't give a magical perspective to shinobi life and abilities, so Severus could only rely on the stories the muggle crew told him or what he observed from Shizune and Gai.

The most important thing that Severus had focused on was the language barrier. He learned as much of the language he could from Shizune and Gai during the month boat ride but it still wasn't enough. Since he had gotten off the ship, he had been using translation charms frequently. So frequently that Severus had gotten accustomed to casting the charms wordlessly whenever he noticed that they needed to be renewed.

"We'll need to introduce you to the Hokage before you can meet Harry," Shizune said, interrupting Severus's thoughts. The wizard grimaced at her words. From the stories he had heard between his two traveling companions, he was not looking forward to meeting the woman.

Reluctantly, Severus nodded and followed the two shinobi past the village gates. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the gate guard watching him curiously but they made no threatening or suspicious moves.

As they were walking through the village toward a large tower that Shizune had pointed out, it didn't escape the dark-haired man's notice that the curious looks he was receiving were quite common.

"Does Konoha have so few visitors that all are so easily spotted and scrutinized?" he questioned upon spotting yet another curious individual. Severus had changed outfits upon disembarking the ship to fit in better with the locals and it had worked fairly well until they had set foot in the shinobi village. Now Severus felt like he was sticking out and it was a feeling that didn't sit well with the former spy.

Shizune laughed. "It's not you but the company you keep," she replied. "There are some shinobi in Konoha that are known to everyone and when they are spotted with people that they aren't normally seen with, we become curious."

Severus leveled a glare at Gai, who gave a wide grin and laughed loudly.

After spending a month with the man, Severus still struggled with the idea that Gai could be one of the higher ranked shinobi in Konoha. Yes, he would admit that the green clad shinobi was strong and clever and was a force to be reckoned with when he was serious, but most of the time Gai was just too loud for Severus. Nothing about the man was subtle.

"Gai-sensei!"

The trio stopped walking as a dark-haired girl jogged up to them.

"Tenten! How is my youthful student?"

Severus ground his teeth as he heard that familiar word. He was ready to hex the other man the next time he heard that word and his hand was already twitching toward the wand hidden in his sleeve.

Tenten offered up a tired smile. "We had a training day," she informed Gai. "Neji is on a mission so Lee and I spent the day with Harry."

"And how has he been doing?" Shizune asked before Gai could. Tenten's grin widened.

"He has wonderful aim with a kunai," she said. "And he's improving daily with shuriken and basic taijutsu. He also hasn't missed a single day of cardio training. He and Lee have been running laps around the village every night before dinner."

"As I predicated, Harry has a dedication and determination that will only rival Lee's and mine! He will be a great shinobi, one of the best in the next generation of youth!"

Shizune rested a hand on Severus's arm as his hand wrapped against the wall. She pulled him away and continued walking toward the tower.

"Is the boy anything like him?" Severus asked reluctantly as he followed the kunoichi.

A small smile played on Shizune's lips as she answered. "Well, we've already determined that Harry likes the color green," she said. "That's how we discovered his magic, after he changed all the clothes Tenten bought for him green."

Severus gave a small sigh. Merlin give him strength to deal with the child if he was anything like his adopted father.

In a few minutes, the pair had reached the Hokage tower and Shizune slammed the door open to Tsunade's office, frowning as she looked around at all of the paperwork stacked up in all areas of the room.

"Lady Tsunade!" she snapped, spotting the woman lifting a glass of sake to her lips. The woman knocked back the glass and set it down, looking at Shizune and Severus.

"So you're finally back," she said. "Who's this?"

"It's the middle of the day," Shizune admonished. "And have you done any paperwork since I left?"

"Of course!" the Hokage said, looking offended. Shizune crossed her arms, looking unconvinced. Tsunade glared at her before turning her attention to Severus once again. "Who's this?" she repeated.

"Severus Snape," Shizune said. "He's like Harry and has agreed to be Harry's teacher."

The blonde-haired woman stared at the man suspiciously. "Really?" she asked.

"At least until he turns eleven. Then he'll most likely need the traditional schooling that students go through back in my native country."

"Absolutely not!" Tsunade snapped. "Any training he needs will be done here in Konoha."

Severus glared at the woman but said nothing else. He had seven years to convince her otherwise.

"Where is Gai?" Tsunade demanded, taking note of the missing shinobi.

"Talking with Tenten," Shizune relayed. "She found us on our way here. They were catching up as we left."

"Good. They'll bring the brat when they're finished."

"Harry, not brat!" a voice piped up from the doorway. Shizune laughed as Tsunade scowled.

Severus turned slightly to spot Gai and the girl Tenten standing in the doorway. Between them was a boy about Tenten's age that looked to be a clone of Gai. Severus grit his teeth at the sight and his hand twitched toward his wand.

"Papa proud of me!" the voice piped up again. "I run eighty-five laps today, one for every day he gone."

"We kept our promise, Gai-sensei!" Gai's younger clone announced loudly as he reached behind him to grab at something. "For every day you were gone, we added one lap around the village to our training regime."

"Lee," Shizune muttered to Severus. "Gai's prodigy."

Severus gave a curt nod as he watched what Lee was attempting to do. It looked like some strange acrobatic trick to him. Then Lee made a triumphant noise and pulled a small boy from his back and set the boy on the ground.

Severus ground his teeth together as a nightmare he hadn't realized he'd had was true. The son of James Potter dressed similarly to Maito Gai. Not even seeing Lily's green eyes again made him feel better as he took in the sight.

"Papa!" Harry yelled as he rushed toward his adoptive father, who was praising the boy and announcing how proud he was at the feats Harry had performed while he had been gone.

Severus let out a sigh he had been holding for quite some time. Not for the first time, he was regretting his rash decision to come to the hidden countries. Just looking at the boy, he could already tell that it was going to be a long seven years.


	10. Chapter 10

"Snape-sensei!"

Severus felt his eye give an involuntary twitch as he laid eyes on Harry, clad once again in a green jumpsuit. He frowned as the child stepped in front of him and gave an odd type of salute.

"Good morning, Snape-sensei!" the boy said loudly. "What you teach me today?"

Severus ground his teeth at the butchered grammar but didn't comment on it. It was going to be difficult working with a child as young as Harry, he knew. He had to lower his expectations, though he wasn't thrilled about having to do so.

"English," he replied gruffly when he realized the boy was beaming up at him, waiting for an answer. "It is another language that ill most likely be very convenient to you later on in life. The earlier you learn it and have the ability to practice it, the more beneficial it will be. Once I am satisfied with your progress, all our lessons will be in English."

"Yes, Snape-Sensei!" Harry gave his odd salute again. Severus inwardly sighed. It was too early in the morning to be dealing with that much energy. He was quite surprised the boy wasn't walking up and down the walls in his excitement. It was probably only due to his lack of chakra that he hadn't learned how to do so already.

"Mornings will be for English and theory, afternoons for practicals and any physical training your…father wants you to accomplish. Understood?"

Harry jerked his head up and down in an eager nod. "Understood, Snape-sensei!"

"Let's begin," Severus said reluctantly.

It was already clear to the wizard that the next few years would be something completely new for him. Even his prior experience teaching would be completely useless, as he was no longer teaching a classroom of preteens and teens. Instead, he had one pupil who was several years younger than the first years.

And somehow, Severus didn't think that scare tactics would work with Harry. He had a feeling that the boy would see it as some sort of game.

As the morning passed, Severus Snape realized that while Harry still looked like something out of his nightmares (and most likely always would unless he was successful in getting the boy out of that blasted jumpsuit), Gai had actually done a decent job in raising the child and passing on his work ethic to Harry. It may have been a little extreme but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

In his few years of teaching, something that had driven the dark-haired wizard mad was the lack of work ethic in his students. Even the muggleborn first years, who had just learned about magic, were always looking for an easier way to do something or for shortcuts that didn't exist.

Not Harry Potter, though. If anything, the boy was determined to do things the hard way and make them even harder. As much as Severus hated to admit it, that little fact made him slightly more fond of Harry.

However, the same could not be said about the boy's constant need to move. Severus ground his teeth together when he saw Harry actually vibrating in his seat as he practiced writing the Roman alphabet and numbers.

"For every error you make, I expect three laps around the building," the wizard snapped, deciding to take a leaf out of Gai's book to see if it actually worked. Harry's head jerked up at the suddenness of the comment and Severus was slightly horrified to see a starry look enter the boy's eyes.

"Yes, Snape-sensei!"

"As much as everyone hates to admit it, that's the way to get through to him," a feminine voice murmured in Severus's year. The dark-haired man's wand was in his hand before he recognized the voice as Shizune's. Shizune eyed the wand with an approving look in her eye. "We really tried to get Harry around others so that wouldn't be the case but he idolizes his father and brother."

"I hadn't noticed," Severus drawled. "At least he's not an exact copy of those two…" The wizard struggled to find a fitting word.

"Konoha's Sublime Green Beast of Prey and Konoha's Beautiful Green Wild Beast are sometimes what they're called, especially by each other," Shizune said with a smirk. Just hearing the nicknames made Severus grit his teeth and cringe.

"It's amusing to you," he accused the kunoichi, who merely nodded.

"Some of the things that happen around here are utterly ridiculous," she said. "You can either find it amusing or despair. I find that the ones who despair are often driven to add to the madness."

Severus glared at the woman, who merely turned her eyes to watch Harry, who was finishing the task Severus had assigned.

"I was just checking in to see how the first day was going," Shizune said. "It seems to be going well, so I'll leave you to it. It looks like you'll be needed soon and I have my own duties to fulfill."

"Don't tell me your Hokage is drunk already," Severus sneered. It had only been a day but he had heard nearly all the stories.

"Not if I can help it," Shizune replied with a disapproving frown. She glanced between Harry and Severus again and a small smile graced her lips for a brief second. Then she was gone in a flurry of leaves.

Severus glared at the spot she had been standing at before a waving hand caught his attention.

"Bring it here," he ordered the boy. Harry grabbed his scroll and nearly thrust it into the wizard's hands when he reached his teacher. He bounced on the balls of his feet while he waited for the verdict as the stern man looked over the scroll.

After a few minutes, Severus glanced down at Harry, who was beaming up at him.

"Eight wrong," he announced. "That's twenty-four laps."

"Eight?" Harry asked. "More wrong than I wanted. As punishment, I will run forty laps because I fail you and me!"

Severus Snape sighed as the boy burst out of the room to begin his laps.

"Twenty-four laps would have been fine," he murmured as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on.

Crossing his arms, Severus stepped into the doorframe and watched Harry run around the building. Running forty laps around the building was nothing for the four-year-old, who had spent the past few months running around the entire village multiple times, but the older man was surprised by the determined glint in the boy's eyes.

"Harry Potter, there's hope for you yet," the Potions master muttered under his breath as he watched the boy. "I think one day Voldemort might fear you more than Albus Dumbledore."

And that was certainly saying something.

At the end of the afternoon, the pair had made considerable progress. Harry was able to recognize all of the letters and their sounds, as well as simple numbers. When Gai arrived to pick up Harry, the boy was shouting off basic phrases and common English words while doing a routine of push-ups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks.

"Papa!" Harry yelled when he spotted the shinobi. He ran up to the man and threw himself into his father's arms. Gai didn't even blink as he caught the boy and hoisted him over his shoulder.

"Did you learn much today, my youthful son?" Gai asked.

"Of course!" Harry replied, equally as loud. "And I vow to learn more tomorrow and then more the day after!"

Severus sighed.

"Better review your lesson plan," Shizune said with a laugh as she appeared from behind Gai.

"Shizune-san!" Harry greeted the woman, waving at her despite having seen her a few hours earlier. Shizune chuckled but waved back.

Severus resisted the urge to roll his eyes and turned away but before he could gather his things and return to the small apartment that had been set up for him yesterday, Gai's voice stopped him.

"Snape-san, I must ask you a question!"

"The answer is no," Severus replied without turning around.

"But it is an urgent matter, one which regards a matter of life and death!" Gai protested. "And it is something that only you would have an expert opinion on!"

The wizard grimaced but turned around, raising an eyebrow as he glared at Gai.

Severus glanced behind the man to Shizune, who was holding back an amused smile. His stomach sank, remembering their conversation from earlier in the day.

"What do you need my expertise on?" he growled.

"Back in your country, Shizune and I ended up collecting a creature that we've now identified from your books as being a dragon. Now we need some information about its dietary habits so we can feed it."

Severus was speechless as he stared at Gai in disbelief. Unfortunately, he didn't doubt that him being speechless would become a regular occurrence over the next few years.

"We would also like methods on how to control and train this magnificent and beautiful creature!" Gai declared.

Severus was quiet for a few minutes before he finally spoke in a low voice that most Hogwarts students would have recognized as extremely dangerous. "You want to train a dragon?"


	11. Chapter 11

As incredible as the idea sounded, it turned out that yes, Gai did want to train a dragon.

And not just any dragon. A bloody Norwegian Ridgeback at that.

Well, at least it wasn't a Hungarian Horntail or a Peruvian Vipertooth. Both species were notorious for their preference to eat human flesh.

"Where exactly did you acquire this beast?" Severus asked as he regarded the dragon, who was eying the shinobi up hungrily. It hadn't attacked yet but Severus was sure that it was only a matter of minutes.

Gai and Shizune had led him to the forty-fourth training ground, which was strangely devoid of any shinobi teams. Severus had the feeling that this particular training ground wasn't utilized very often, which was probably why it had been chosen in the first place.

"That bank of yours," Shizune said. "The white building."

"Gringotts?" Severus mused. He had known that the goblins kept dragons in the depths of their banks but according to laws set down by the Wizengamot, the dragons were supposed to be common breeds, like the Welsh Green or the Ukrainian Ironbelly, not an endangered species like the Ridgeback.

Of course, there were very few wizards that were willing to check to make sure that law was being followed and no doubt the goblins had figured that out very early on.

The Norwegian Ridgeback raised its head and let out a piercing screech, spreading its wings as it expressed its…displeasure? Pleasure? Severus had no idea how to read a dragon's mood. As the dragon turned its head back and forth, looking around, it lunged toward the top branches of the tree above Severus, who dodged to the side out of pure reflex.

"Does it normally eat venomous slugs?" Shizune asked as the dragon sat back and began shaking its catch violently to rip it into more bite-sized pieces. "The venom won't affect it?"

"Dragons are not my area of expertise, unless their scales are powdered or their heartstrings diced," Severus drawled. "All I know that the majority eat large mammals, such as sheep, deer, or cows and are very territorial."

"Of course they are! They are the beasts of beasts, the king of all creatures on both land and air!" Gai declared. "They cannot expect to share that title with any other, even others of their kind!"

"Remind me to introduce you to Rubeus Hagrid in the future. I have a feeling you two would get on marvelously well," Severus muttered under his breath.

"Now that we've figured out what to feed it, how shall we train it?" Gai asked, turning to the wizard.

"There is no _we_ ," Severus announced with a sneer. "Dragons are unable to be tamed or domesticated, so this endeavor is entirely your own because I refuse to try and accomplish the impossible.

"But the bank…"

"Goblins chain them up and beat them until they expect pain at the smallest noise. However, it is only effective as long as their movements are restricted and as soon as the dragons break free, they will kill or eat any goblin that crosses its path. The goblins do not _train_ the dragons, they merely imprison them."

"Then we will tame this dragon with kindness!" Gai declared.

Severus sighed as his words went unheard. The shinobi was too stubborn to listen once he had an idea in his head.

"If this dragon decides to eat you, I am _not_ taking in your son," Severus declared. "He will not be living with me."

"Do not worry!" Gai said. "I have already faced this beast once. I am confident in my abilities."

Severus rolled his eyes and turned away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shizune do the same.

"You're leaving him alone with that dragon?" he questioned once they were out of the clearing that Gai and the dragon were facing off in.

"Other shinobi will be along shortly to see what the commotion is about and I have faith in Gai's abilities. Once he puts his mind to something, he is determined to succeed and he nearly always manages."

"Nearly always?" Severus raised an eyebrow. Shizune smirked.

"He's determined that Harry will become a shinobi, despite not having chakra. However, that will be proven a few years and therefore I cannot consider it a success yet."

Severus didn't reply.

Upon reaching the Hokage tower, Shizune led Severus straight up to the main office of the Hokage. As they entered the circular room, Tsunade glared at the pair.

"What's happening now?" she demanded. "It's barely been a day!"

"All seems to be well," Shizune said. "I believe the first lessons went smoothly." As Tsunade's eyes slid over to Severus, the wizard inclined his head in reluctant agreement. The Hokage smirked. "The forty-fourth training ground has acquired a new beast to roam within it. I suspect that the population of the other beasts within it will be on the decline. Gai is currently attempting to tame it and train it and I suspect that other shinobi will want to try and face this creature."

Severus relished the sight of Tsunade's smirk quickly disappearing.

"What kind of beast?" she demanded.

"A dragon," Shizune replied promptly. Severus nodded again when Tsunade looked in his direction.

"One of the largest creatures in the world," he said. "Known to temperamental and has the ability to breathe fire. If I recall correctly, this particular breed also has a venomous bite that brings a slow, painful death if not treated properly.

"If it's not one thing, it's another," the Hokage muttered under her breath. "I don't know how my predecessors put up with all this madness. You never hear about these things happening in the other villages…"

Shizune rested a hand on Severus's arm and led him out of the room. As the door swung shut, the pair heard Tsunade shout, "His living arrangements are ready!"

Severus wanted to sigh in relief. The previous night he had no place to stay and had been forced to share a house with Gai and Harry. Never again, he vowed. He needed his own space.

"Despite your Hokage's vices, she seems to be efficient," the dark-haired man commented reluctantly as Shizune showed him to his new home for the next several years. He was impressed that his housing had been arranged so quickly.

"Housing is simple to arrange," Shizune replied. "With shinobi coming and going on missions, there are always a couple of apartments ready and the keys are just handed over. However, if they are going to stay for a longer amount of time, we have to give twenty-four hour notice to the managers of the buildings, which is why there was a delay for you. Shinobi villages are meant to be efficient, with or without a kage. It's the only way to survive."

The rest of the walk to the apartment building was done in silence. Severus resisted a few sighs when he heard the piercing cry of the dragon. Thankfully, it was relatively faint and Severus hoped to keep it that way. He wasn't Hagrid, who was fascinated by the beasts and wanted to be as close to them as possible. Severus was quite content to stay far away from the fire-breathers and the only interest he found in the creatures were in the potions ingredients that they could provide.

That reminded Severus that eventually he needed to find a location where he could brew. Preferably away from any shinobi. He didn't trust any of the warriors not to mess something up, including Shizune. However, he would gladly listen to her when it came to the local fauna. He had only walked through the village a few times and had been to only one training ground but already he could tell that the majority of the plant-life was very different from the materials he could acquire in Europe.

"Here we are," Shizune announced, stopping their journey in front of a nondescript building. Severus already approved, especially when he noticed similar buildings along the entire street. They blended in well with the nearby civilian homes. "Apartment three-one-seven is the one you've been assigned. I'll leave you to get settled."

Severus nodded and barely blinked when Shizune disappeared in a flurry of leaves. The first time had startled him somewhat but after a few times of witnessing various shinobi use the technique, Severus had adjusted. It was merely another way to travel, much like apparation or using the floo.

The wizard examined the key that Shizune had handed him. There was no label on it, which wasn't surprising. The wizard was finding that not only were shinobi villages efficient, they were also paranoid. Those were certainly two qualities that he could appreciate.

The apartment Severus had been assigned was small. The entrance way opened to a hallway containing three doors and the kitchen. Beyond a sliding door was a room that doubled as a living room and bedroom. It was a slightly unusual set-up for the Brit but, like everything else he had encountered so far, it was efficient.

A quick look around proved that the cupboards were stocked with food and extra furniture and on top of a wooden pallet (most likely the bed), there were linens and a piece of fabric that was a frightening familiar shade of green. Severus grimaced as he picked up the green fabric and unfolded a note left on top of it.

_Severus,_

_To show my gratitude and as a gift to welcome you to Konoha, I have bestowed upon you this uniform to bring out the youth I know is inside of you. Train well in it._

_Gai_

Severus didn't bother to unfold the garment. Instead, he acted like it had suddenly burst into flames and promptly dropped it, giving a slight shudder as he did so. He refused to wear any jumpsuit, especially one that was an exact copy that Gai, Lee, and Harry were keen on wearing.

He would stick to his robes, thank you very much.

The piercing scream of the dragon rang throughout the village.

Glowering at the offensive piece of green fabric, Severus hoped that the dragon won and ate Gai.


	12. Chapter 12

As a large fireball barreled toward Gai, the shinobi easily darted out of the way. As fearsome as the dragon was, it was actually quite slow, having become accustomed to using its size and fire as its main source of defense.

"Thirteen!" Gai shouted. "How much more firepower do you have? I can do this all day! Can you?"

In response, the dragon flared its wings, taking out a few trees as it did so and gave a high-pitched screech before taking aim again. The fireball went over Gai's head and a couple shinobi that were looking on had to dart out of the way to avoid getting singed.

"Fourteen!"

"I have a feeling that the training grounds will burn completely down before that creature even considers stopping," Tenten muttered to Neji. The pair were sitting well out of the dragon's range. Lee was much closer, cheering Gai on while giving Harry tips on how to perform each move and promising to teach the more advanced ones at training the following morning. Harry was watching the entire exchange

"It's quite a fascinating creature," Neji stated, examining the dragon closely with his byakugan. He grimaced as a fireball disintegrated the tree right in front of him and Tenten, having gone over Harry and Lee's heads by only a couple of feet.

"Fifteen!"

"Fascinating how? It would be great against an army of soldiers but it's too slow to take out most shinobi," Tenten said with slight contempt. "And most shinobi can replicate its fireballs with a jutsu."

"The energy system coursing through its body…the only thing similar I've seen to it before is the energy system that Harry has. It shouldn't be possible…There are no animals that have chakra systems, so why does this creature have the same energy system as Harry?"

"Ask Harry's newest teacher," Tenten said with a small shrug. "He's supposedly an expert on that particular energy system, though he didn't really seem to be the type to take on students."

"That was said about Kakashi as well," Neji replied. "And probably most of the jounins that ended up taking on genin teams."

"That's different though. Genins already have basic training when they're put on a team and none are as young as Harry. Harry barely knows how to read right now."

"I'm fairly positive Naruto barely knew how to read when he managed to get to the genin stage," Neji muttered. Tenten glared at him.

"Be nice," she warned. "I thought you respected Naruto."

"I do but I can also state facts. He's an orphan and, until recently, wasn't particularly well liked by the village. He didn't meet Iruka until he entered the Academy and despite the Third Hokage's orders, I doubt that anyone would have tutored him beforehand and taught him simple things like reading and writing. Besides, you've met Naruto. Do you really think that he would have had the ability to sit still long enough to learn how to read?"

Tenten gave a reluctant sigh, forced to admit that Neji had a point, but she refused to actually say it out loud.

"Sixteen!"

"This is going to go on all night," Tenten sighed before calling out, "Lee! It's nearly time for Harry to go to bed!"

Both Lee and Harry gave her appalled looks.

"No!" Harry announced stubbornly. "Harry stay here! Harry watch Papa!"

"Note to self, work on getting him to stop talking in the third person," Tenten muttered under her breath. Neji nodded in agreement.

"You need to go to bed, Harry," Tenten said, speaking louder now. "Every shinobi needs sleep, even though many think they don't. Sleep is essential for you to grow stronger and become the best shinobi you can be."

Normally that was enough for Harry to become willing to go to bed but tonight he adopted a stubborn look.

"No! Harry stay here and learn how to train dragon!" the four-year-old announced. When Tenten took a step forward, ready to pick Harry up and carry him back to Gai and Lee's place kicking and screaming if she had to, the boy kicked off his sandals and the training weights he insisted on wearing before running straight toward the dragon.

Neji, Tenten, and Lee took off after Harry but the child had been the closest to the dragon and was used to outrunning and outmaneuvering the team when it came time for his bath.

Lee grunted as he was forced to move out of the way of a fireball. He had been just a second away from catching Harry—his fingers had touched the back of the boy's shirt—but the dragon thought he was Gai and had targeted him.

Gai and the other shinobi studying the dragon watched in horror for a split second before all rushing to save Harry from an almost certain death. The Norwegian Ridgeback didn't even hesitate before letting out its longest stream of fire yet, aimed directly at the stampede of shinobi. As it did, Harry reached the dragon's tail and began climbing up its back, using its spikes to pull him up higher and higher.

When it needed to take a breath, the dragon turned its head to regard the small creature crawling up its back. Harry laughed as the dragon stuck its head in his face and patted it on the nose as it sniffed him.

A couple of the shinobi cringed as they watched the encounter, certain that the creature would swallow Harry whole. After all, he was bite-sized to the dragon.

After sniffing the odd little creature and determining that it most likely couldn't do any serious harm to her, the dragon turned its attention back on the green furless animal that kept annoying her. After sending one last fireball towards it and the other creatures that insisted on approaching her, she turned around and started to stomp off, waving its spiked tail back and forth and hoping that it would hit anything that followed after her.

Harry clung to the dragon as it walked away, waving to his father and older brother in excitement as the dragon took him deeper into the forest. This was turning out to be quite a fun adventure, definitely more fun than going to bed. Gai and Lee followed after the odd pair, hoping to catch the dragon unaware to rescue Harry. Tenten and Neji were tailing Gai and Lee, trying to figure out if the Hokage needed to become involved now. After all, there was a civilian's life at stake because no matter how hard anyone or any child tried to argue that they weren't a civilian but a shinobi instead, no one obtained shinobi status until after graduating from the academy or had been given the rank by the Hokage.

After walking for a couple of miles, the dragon found a place to settle down for a few hours and burned a nest in amongst the trees before kneeling down and wrapping her tail around her body to protect her more vulnerable body parts like her eyes and stomach.

There were a few nudges on her back that continued down to her legs. The dragon raised her tail just high enough to see the odd little creature setting its two legs on the ground and walking around, chattering in a language that was slightly familiar but the dragon was too tired to try and figure out what it was saying. The matter would just need to wait until she had slept for a few hours.

That decision made, the dragon's tail flopped over her eyes again and she pressed it tight against her body, making sure that her newest interest was firmly wedged between her lower right leg and her tail where it couldn't escape.

* * *

Severus Snape was very irritated. It was only the second day of lessons and already his pupil was late. Maybe the boy took after his birth father more than he thought…Severus pushed that thought away because it was no use dwelling over it at the current moment. He had committed himself to teaching for the next several years, though how he was supposed to teach under these circumstances escaped him.

The door burst open and Severus glared at the green clad shinobi, who looked like he had far too much energy after supposedly facing a dragon.

"You're still alive? How…unfortunate but I suppose you can be useful and answer my question. Where is my student?" Severus asked sharply as Gai strolled through the door. The green clad man gave him a guilty grin.

"Harry spent the night in the Forest of Death with his newfound friend. Lee was trying to convince her to let him come to lessons but I told them I would come and inform you of the situation."

Severus grit his teeth. He knew he would regret asking the following question but he needed to know that it wasn't laziness on Harry's part. "Why exactly did you let him spend the night in something called the Forest of Death?"

"We were trying to tame the dragon—"

"A useless endeavor," Severus interrupted.

"—And Harry climbed on its back to avoid going to bed. She took a fancy to him—"

"She?" Severus questioned.

"According to Harry," Gai said.

Of course. It was only logical to correctly assume that a four-year-old knew a dragon's gender when he had never seen that type of creature before.

If Severus maintained his sanity over the next few years, it would be a bloody miracle. He really needed to find the ingredients to brew headache relievers because he had a feeling he would need a lot over the coming years.

"And so, she didn't want to relinquish him into our caring arms and Harry seemed content to spend the night curled in her embrace. Of course, we always had someone watching over the pair but now it's morning and she's reluctant to let him go. She's been quite motherly."

Quite motherly.

"If I am to understand you correctly, you are telling me that a four-year-old spent the night in a forest with a dragon and wasn't eaten," Severus drawled.

Gai gave him a grin and a double thumbs up. "You've understood it correctly! Harry has already proven that he's prepared to go through the training of being a shinobi if a dragon and the thought of spending the night in the Forest of Death didn't faze him in the slightest!"

Well, Severus knew what he was doing today. Instead of studying English when he finally managed to show up, would show Harry what ingredients he needed for headache relievers and the boy could hunt them down.

Yes, that sounded like a wonderful plan.

* * *

As the students filed into the Great Hall, greeting friends and housemates they hadn't seen on the train, attention was slowly drawn to the empty staff seat at the Head Table.

Every year Albus tried to pay attention to the Sorting of the first years but this year he would barely remember where more than a handful of students were Sorted. He was too focused on his missing staff member.

Where was Severus? He avoided Hogwarts during the summers but he was always back before the Welcome Feast had started. This was so unlike the Potions professor and it was troubling to Albus, as he had never been unaware of where his staff members were.

"Good evening," Dumbledore said once the Sorting was over. "A few notes before we begin our feast. Like always, I feel I must remind students that the Forbidden Forest is indeed forbidden. Mr. Filch has also asked me to remind you that the use of magic is forbidden in the corridors and anything from Zonko's Joke Shop will be confiscated.

"Now, I'm sure that you returning students have noticed an absent face from our ranks. Professor Snape has been delayed on his travels and his date of return is currently unknown."

There were cheers at that announcement and the Headmaster waited for them to die down before he continued to speak. "Until Professor Snape can return to us, his classes will be covered by a guest professor. I'm sure you will all join me in wishing for Professor Snape's speedy return."

There were a few snickers in response to his comment. Albus gave the snickering students a disappointed look before spreading his arms wide and smiling.

"For our first years, welcome to Hogwarts. For our returning students, welcome back. Now enjoy your dinner!"

Albus Dumbledore waited until every student and staff member had left the Great Hall after the feast before returning to his office and pulling out a quill, purple ink, and a piece of parchment to scribe a letter. Hopefully he would receive a reply (and his Potions professor) back soon.

* * *

_Nearly two months later_

"Severus, I believe I see an owl at your window," Shizune commented as she started putting breakfast dishes away. "With a letter attached to it as well. Is this a common occurrence?"

"In the world I come from," Severus said. "It's how mail is delivered, like you have your eagles and hawks. However, this is the first I've received since coming here. I had believed that they wouldn't be able to reach me. Let it in."

Shizune opened the window and the great gray owl flew in and perched on one of Severus' chairs he had to go with his kitchen table, holding out the leg the letter was attached to. Severus relieved the owl of its burden and raised an eyebrow when the great gray flopped forward, seeming to pass out.

"It must have had quite the journey," Shizune stated.

"Apparently," Severus said dryly as he opened the letter. He sighed when he saw the vibrant purple ink. Without needing to look at the signature, he knew who it was from.

Dumbledore.

_Severus,_

_We missed you at the Welcome Feast. You must have forgotten to inform me of your travel plans and must have been severely delayed to not return back to Hogwarts this September 1. I hope that it was nothing that I did and if it was, I assure you that it was unintentional. Please let me know when I can expect your return and when you arrive back at Hogwarts, we should meet for tea and you can tell me all about your travels._

_Albus Dumbledore_

_Headmaster of Hogwarts_

_Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock_

_Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards_

"Do you need to pen a reply?" Shizune asked as Severus began tearing up the letter into little pieces after reading it.

"Eventually," Severus responded. "That can wait for tonight. I have a student to teach."

Shizune smiled. "He's growing on you."

"Like a wart," Severus drawled. "Since I have kindling for a fire, we'll be learning Potions today. I'm sure he'll be most enthusiastic."

"More so than usual?" Severus glowered and refused to answer. Shizune laughed at his expression. "Well, I hope that you plan to review your headache relievers," she said. "Lady Tsunade was wondering if she could get a few more samples for further examination."

"She can get some more when she starts paying for them," Severus said. "If she's going to insist on using them as hangover cures and not for their rightful use, she can pay for her misappropriation."

"I'll let her know and when I check in later this week, I'll tell you what her response was."

"Don't bother," Severus muttered under his breath as Shizune left his apartment. "I already know it's going to be something crude."

* * *

_Christmas holidays_

A great gray owl flew crookedly through the Headmaster's office before collapsing on Dumbledore's desk, unable to maintain enough energy to stand straight and hold out its leg for proper delivery.

Both of Albus' eyebrows shot upwards as he recognized the owl as the one he sent to Severus at the beginning of the term. He had begun to lose hope of ever getting a reply and would have notified the Ministry of Magic about Severus' disappearance if he hadn't heard from the man when the new year rang in.

With quick hands, Albus unrolled the scroll, taking note of its unusual texture. It felt like the parchment he received from his East Asian colleagues on the International Confederation of Wizards. Well, that gave him an idea of where Severus was if he had need to actually hunt down the wayward wizard.

_Albus,_

_I'm taking an extended sabbatical. I won't be returning until September 1 of the year Harry Potter is due to attend Hogwarts because you'll have no need of me until then. Do me a favor and don't try to meddle too much while I'm away._

_Severus Snape_

Dumbledore frowned as he reread the letter a third and a fourth time. Severus' reply was quite the letdown and only gave him more questions rather than answers.

Ah, well. He had better tell Substitute Professor Lemmings that his position had been extended until the end of the school year and possibly indefinitely. Thankfully it was the Christmas holidays and he could start putting ears and eyes out for Severus until Albus could actually find time to go and search for the man himself.

Albus quickly penned a reply but before he could attach it to the great gray, the owl summoned up the last bits of its energy and flew out the window and into the Owlery, where it would make sure to tell its companions to never again deliver mail to Severus Snape unless they wanted to spend weeks recovering from the exhaustion it took to make the trip.

For the next few years, it would puzzle Albus to no end that every owl in the school refused to accept his letters to Severus, inquiring for updates and asking for hints regarding the man's location. They would deliver letters to everyone else except for Severus.

It was almost as if they were boycotting that particular trip…


End file.
